For a team on the rise, the first week of spring quarter has closely followed the theme of getting better and better. After starting the week with a successful takedown of the No. Read more...

Photo: Freshmen Nicole McNamara (right) and her sister, Megan McNamara (left), clinched the winning points against Pepperdine and Hawai’i over the past week. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin)

It was an unseasonably blustery day at Sunset Recreation Center as UCLA beach volleyball took on the top team in the country, but the Canadian duo of Megan McNamara and Nicole McNamara felt right at home. Read more...

Photo: Freshman Megan McNamara and her sister, Nicole, clinched UCLA’s upset of the No. 1 Pepperdine Waves. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Kamila Tan lunged forward, ready to dig the ball her Arizona opponent sent toward the end line. But the senior retracted her arms at the last second after hearing repeated cries of “It’s out” from her partner, freshman Zana Muno. Read more...

Photo: Freshman Zana Muno (foreground) and Kamila Tan (background) partnered for the first time against No. 7 Arizona after injuries and illness forced No. 3 UCLA to alter its lineups. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

A 2-2 split over the weekend against the then-top-four teams in the nation catapulted the UCLA beach volleyball team into the No. 3 spot in the rankings. Read more...

Photo: Senior Julie Consani and the beach volleyball team faced strong winds during last weekend’s competition. (Daily Bruin file photo)

Stein Metzger often uses the words “a team on the rise” to describe UCLA beach volleyball. Over the weekend, the Bruins managed to echo the sentiments of their coach with their actions, reinforcing their identity against the top teams in the nation. Read more...

Photo: After splitting two sets that lasted 108 points, senior Julie Consani (pictured) and junior Laurel Weaver clinched a crucial 15-9 third set to give No. 6 UCLA the upset over No. 3 Hawai’i. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

For the first time since 2012, Stein Metzger doesn’t have the same commitments that took him away from Westwood in the fall. Over summer, the UCLA beach volleyball coach relinquished his assistant coach position with the women’s volleyball team, and with it went the days spent traveling to arenas of other Pac-12 teams and recruiting trips. Read more...

Photo: Sophomore Elise Zappia said it has been helpful that coach Stein Metzger gave up his role as an assistant coach on the women’s volleyball team because he can now coach the beach players all year. (Daily Bruin file photo)